In this week’s parsha the Torah’s paradigmatic story of religious zealotry is extolled. Pinchas, upon witnessing a horribly immoral act, an affront to Moshe and a desecration of G-d’s name kills the perpetrators. This weeks parsha opens with G-d rewarding Pinchas for his actions. I would like to share two lessons from this story. It is the story of how One is drawn directly from Netayahus speech and the second from a speech Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm delivered in 1975.
it was truly inspiring to watch Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address a joint session of congress for an historic 4th time. To be welcomed to the United States congress with thunderous applause and dozens of standing ovations is truly heartening. And his speech was incredible. With soaring oratory, in the presence of Noa Argamani, IDF soldiers and hostage families who have sacrificed so much for the Jewish People, Netanyahu made his case for the righteousness of Israel’s cause. As he put it, this was is not a clash of civilizations but a clash between barbarism and civilization.
There was one point in his speech that I would like to reflect on this morning, in light of this week’s parsha. He said:
Defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil. Yet incredibly many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers. They stand with people who came into the kibbutzim, into a home, the parents hid the children, the two babies, in the attic, in a secret attic. They murdered the family, the parents, they found the secret latch to the hidden attic and then they murdered the babies. These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.They refuse to make the simple distinction between those who target terrorists and those who target civilians, between the democratic State of Israel and the terrorist thugs of Hamas. We recently learned from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, that Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America. They want to disrupt America. So these protesters burned American flags even on the 4th of July. And I wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who protected the American flag, protected the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters…These protesters chant “From the river to the sea.” But many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They have officially become Iran’s useful idiots!
My friends, I would like to discuss the pathology of these useful idiots. Of the protesters who don’t have a clue what river and sea they are protesting. What drives their passions? Indeed what drives their zealotry against Israel?
Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky gives a profound answer based on a nuance in this weeks parsha. The Torah opens this week by saying Pinchas, ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen, you will be rewarded by G-d for this tremendous act of courage, heroism and religious zeal. If you notice, the Torah goes out of its way to identify Pinchas’ lineage. Pinchas ben Aharaon ben Elazar HaKohen. We all knew which Pinchas the Torah was discussing why review his lineage? He explains that: When a person acts with zealotry there is always concern that “Ki Mipnei SheHirgiz RigShosav HaKedoshos Hu Koes” That the holy passions and emotions of the zealot were aroused. He was ignited with a holy fire. In other words, the act of zealotry was spurred on by their passions or angst that lay dormant beneath the surface. The act of zealotry channeled the latent passions or anger that was hidden in his chest. Therefore the Torah comes along and reintroduces us to PInchas- do you know who Pinchas is? Hes the son of Aharon HaKOhen- he was the most peace loving, kind, sensitive soul who acted with the greatest sincerity and most pure intentions.
My friends, do you want to know the pathology of the protesters? The pathology of Teheran’s useful idiots? Of these ignorant college student who march in the name of social justice? What drives their zeal? What fuels their fire?
The answer is exactly what R Yaakov Kaminzertky is describing. The answer is that they have a vacuum in their lives that they are seeking to fill. They have a void of meaning in their lives. Marching for social justice fills that void. It is not them that is marching- but their emptiness is marching! It is not them that is protesting, it is their angst that is protesting! When we champion our causes, its should not be our anger, angst or some hole inside of us that fuels them, but it must be our sense of L’Shem Shamayim! Thats one lesson from Pinchas.
But there is a second and even more obvious lesson from Pinchas is that given this very important caveat, religious zeal is important! Even today! While of course, in todays day and age religious zeal should never take the form of Pinchas’ violence. There is obviously no place for that in our world. But it takes other forms. Its takes the form of standing for a noble cause. Of championing Yiddishkeit. Of arguing for morality. Of defending Israel. Of being willing to make sacrifices to advance the cause of Torah and goodness and morality in the world!
I want to share with you the words of Rabbi Dr. Normann Lamm written on Parshas Pinchas 1975. He said: To be sure, in mustn’t deviate into fanaticism. But Without zeal , commitment has little value and can hardly survive. Judaism cannot do without the passion that goes with zeal! Without this zealousness, without this passion, commitment is at best superficial. Zeal involves self-sacrifice and earnestness of purpose. The founding of the State of Israel in 1948 required a great deal of zealousness. Looking back at that era with the benefit of historical perspective and emotional detachment, many of us who at that time were opposed to the extremist groups now can recognize that the so-called “Stern Gang ” and the Irgun were indispensable for the success of our venture. And these groups proved far more civilized and moral and humane than the guerrillas of so many other nationalist movements.
And what is true for the State is true for Judaism. We have survived to this day because of the self-sacrifice of countless zealots, the successors of Pinhas.
That is why I am not overly anxious for our camp, what we call “Modern Orthodoxy,” to cut off from the “right wing.” The “right wing” are reservoirs of passionate commitment, without which we are wishy-washy, wan, weak, and wavering, Of course I am unhappy with many of their policies and their objectionable rhetoric. But our very survival may well depend on the degree to which we can become inspired by their zeal and learn to bring passion to our own commitments, no matter how much we may disagree with them on specific issues.
Rabbi Lamm continued zeal is an idea that can like many other great ideas is an idea that can easily be abused. He cautioned against slipping from religious zeal to fanaticism. Passions can become dangerous. Our actions must be guided by love. But we also cannot bear the possibility of practicing a mediocre Judaism and becoming wishy-washy, wan, weak, and wavering.
There are two very important lessons to be learned about zealotry from this weeks parsha. One from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the other from Rabbi Lamm. From Netanyahu we learn, as Rav Yaakov’s Kaminetzky pointed out that when we act with zeal, that mustn’t be a coverup for the other things that are going on in our lives. If you had a fight with your wife, if you had an issue at work, if you have anger or angst inside of you- that cannot be the motivation for zeal. The protesters have a huge hole in their souls, they have void in their lives and they think that marching for a river and a sea that they’d don’t even know about will solve their problems. That is the problem that R Yaakov Kaminetzky is talking about. Misguided and harmful zeal. But the other lesson that Rabbi Lamm points out is that zeal is important. To be sure, a safe, responsible, respectful zeal that never G-d forbid become violent or offensive, but a zealous Judaism. A Judaism that doesn’t settle for mediocrity. A Judaism that doesn’t settle for complacency. A Judaism that is never wishy washy, wan weak or wavering. But a Judaism that is meaningful, mighty and majestic.